"crooked, tortuous, Lk. 3:5; met. perverse, wicked, Acts 2:40; Phil. 2:15; crooked, peevish, morose, 1 Pet. 2:18*"
Definition and meaning
crooked, tortuous, Lk. 3:5; met. perverse, wicked, Acts 2:40; Phil. 2:15; crooked, peevish, morose, 1 Pet. 2:18*
In the original Greek the word is written: σκολιός
Historical context
Luke wrote as a historian addressing a Greek audience. He carefully interviewed eyewitnesses and arranged events in order. The social and economic realities he describes — Roman taxation, Jewish religious hierarchy, the marginalization of women and the poor — are consistent with first-century Judea under Roman administration.
The people who first heard this word were not reading a book — they were living through empires, oppression, exile, and covenant. Every word carried the weight of that reality. Understanding it changes how you read Scripture.
Scripture references
These are the most notable occurrences of skolios (G4646) across the King James Bible.
Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth;
And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.
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Common questions
Strong's G4646 (skolios) is a Greek word that means: crooked, tortuous, Lk. 3:5; met. perverse, wicked, Acts 2:40; Phil. 2:15; crooked, peevish, morose, 1 Pet. 2:18* It appears 4 times in the King James Bible.
The word skolios (G4646) appears 4 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G4646 is skolios, a Greek word defined as: crooked, tortuous, Lk. 3:5; met. perverse, wicked, Acts 2:40; Phil. 2:15; crooked, peevish, morose, 1 Pet. 2:18*. James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
skolios is a Greek word found in the New Testament.